Church of England Institute CEI Club

Formally Recognized:
1989/07/21

CEI Club, St. John's

Other Name(s)

n/a

Links and documents

n/a

Construction Date(s)

1900/01/01 to 1901/01/01

Listed on the Canadian Register:
2005/01/06

Statement of Significance

Description of Historic Place

The Church of England Institute CEI Club is a four storey Second Empire style building located at the corner of Hamilton Avenue and Sudbury Street, St. John's, NL. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.

Heritage Value

This building as been designated for its aesthetic and historic values.

Aesthetic Values: The CEI Club is a fine example of a Second Empire designed public building with its concave mansard roof, pedimented dormer windows, and decorative eaves bracketing.

Historical Values: This building was once the home to the Methodist Orphanage. Orphaned Methodist girls from all areas of Newfoundland were sent here for care. Some funding for operations was provided by the government, but most of the funds came from Methodist churches throughout the island. After the orphanage closed, the Church of England Institute (CEI) took over the building. This was a social club for members of the Church of England and sponsored community sports teams. In the 1950s it dropped its association with the church and opened its membership to people of other denominations.

Source: City of St. John's Archives municipal designation file.

Character-Defining Elements

All elements of the Newfoundland interpretation of the Second Empire style, including:

-the concave mansard roof, pedimented dormer windows, and decorative eaves bracketing:-shape, size, decoration and placement of windows;-Narrow wood clapboard which covers the building;-the slightly projected tower with its hip roof located in the front facade with its pedimented dorimer window with trim which flares out at its bottom, dentils and decorative wood shingles; and-building height, number of storeys, dimensions, and massing.